Help me have a Blast.
April 2, 2016 10:16 AM Subscribe
How to make sure that I can enable cable modem Internet in a condo? Current owner is using DSL and that has me concerned.
I just put in an offer on a condo in Massachusetts. This is my very first condo purchase (not my first home purchase though).
Said offer is contingent on the availability of cable modem internet in the unit. I work from home so this is a must. (Yes, I will Get My Own Lawyer and I'm also represented by a buyer-only broker.)
The current owner is using DSL, although there is a coax outlet coming out of the same receptacle to which she has her modem connected. (Why you would use DSL if there was cable modem available beats the heck out of me... and I'm not even sure the two can coexist.)
I just confirmed with Comcast that Blast is "available" at the given address. It's literally across the tracks from where I am now, so I would have expected that answer.
Should I be asking any other questions? If the unit needs to be wired to accommodate cable modem internet, is that going to be a problem? I'm afraid I'm going to get a facile answer from seller's agent and then wind up not being able to wire the unit properly.
There are retail units on the first floor. I could always walk in and Ask An Employee. :-) It doesn't mean that the second floor residential units are up to snuff on the cable provisioning, though.
I just put in an offer on a condo in Massachusetts. This is my very first condo purchase (not my first home purchase though).
Said offer is contingent on the availability of cable modem internet in the unit. I work from home so this is a must. (Yes, I will Get My Own Lawyer and I'm also represented by a buyer-only broker.)
The current owner is using DSL, although there is a coax outlet coming out of the same receptacle to which she has her modem connected. (Why you would use DSL if there was cable modem available beats the heck out of me... and I'm not even sure the two can coexist.)
I just confirmed with Comcast that Blast is "available" at the given address. It's literally across the tracks from where I am now, so I would have expected that answer.
Should I be asking any other questions? If the unit needs to be wired to accommodate cable modem internet, is that going to be a problem? I'm afraid I'm going to get a facile answer from seller's agent and then wind up not being able to wire the unit properly.
There are retail units on the first floor. I could always walk in and Ask An Employee. :-) It doesn't mean that the second floor residential units are up to snuff on the cable provisioning, though.
I'm not even sure the two can coexist.)
DSL uses the telephone lines, cable uses the "cable TV" lines; they're entirely separate wires, they can co-exist.
Why you would use DSL if there was cable modem available beats the heck out of me
While cable is theoretically faster by the specs, it's not always so in practice (easily google-able why); DSL could well be cheaper - cable Internet is often only a good deal if you also get a "bundle" with cable TV and/or a telephone, and lots of people have little interest in watching cable TV; DSL is plenty fast enough for tons of people. I'm a DSL user myself, for these very reasons, and it's not like I have to wait for half an hour for my Netflix shows to load up.
I just confirmed with Comcast that Blast is "available" at the given address.
My only concern here would be whether this was "confirmed" by an actual person, or whether you got this via plugging data into the Comcast website. Pretty much every time I've investigated changing ISPs or my method of delivery the various companies' websites have promised all sorts of stuff, but once I actually got on the phone and contacted a real person it turned out that they couldn't actually deliver the services I wanted to my specific address - the websites were more "sales pitch" than useful information. Talk to an actual person if you haven't already.
posted by soundguy99 at 11:07 AM on April 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
DSL uses the telephone lines, cable uses the "cable TV" lines; they're entirely separate wires, they can co-exist.
Why you would use DSL if there was cable modem available beats the heck out of me
While cable is theoretically faster by the specs, it's not always so in practice (easily google-able why); DSL could well be cheaper - cable Internet is often only a good deal if you also get a "bundle" with cable TV and/or a telephone, and lots of people have little interest in watching cable TV; DSL is plenty fast enough for tons of people. I'm a DSL user myself, for these very reasons, and it's not like I have to wait for half an hour for my Netflix shows to load up.
I just confirmed with Comcast that Blast is "available" at the given address.
My only concern here would be whether this was "confirmed" by an actual person, or whether you got this via plugging data into the Comcast website. Pretty much every time I've investigated changing ISPs or my method of delivery the various companies' websites have promised all sorts of stuff, but once I actually got on the phone and contacted a real person it turned out that they couldn't actually deliver the services I wanted to my specific address - the websites were more "sales pitch" than useful information. Talk to an actual person if you haven't already.
posted by soundguy99 at 11:07 AM on April 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
If you can get cable TV, you can get cable internet. I imagine there's already a jack in the unit, but if you want to locate the cable modem somewhere else in the condo, that wiring job may be up to you.
posted by rhizome at 11:52 AM on April 2, 2016
posted by rhizome at 11:52 AM on April 2, 2016
How to make sure that I can enable cable modem Internet in a condo?
Insist that the current owner has cable installed and working before you sign anything legally binding (they can always transfer the bill to your name afterward). Verify that it works on all of your equipment before proceeding with the deal. What soundguy99 says is all too common -- ISPs will promise you the moon right up til your install date and then drop the "Oops, sorry-we-can't-actually-do-that bomb" at the last minute. Don't believe anything they tell you over the phone or in person; seeing (it working) is believing.
Another thing you could run into after the fact (as I did) is that some buildings have exclusivity contracts with certain ISPs, so the current owner may not be using Comcast because the building only allows AT&T or another company under their rules and provisions. Check just to be sure.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 12:19 PM on April 2, 2016
Insist that the current owner has cable installed and working before you sign anything legally binding (they can always transfer the bill to your name afterward). Verify that it works on all of your equipment before proceeding with the deal. What soundguy99 says is all too common -- ISPs will promise you the moon right up til your install date and then drop the "Oops, sorry-we-can't-actually-do-that bomb" at the last minute. Don't believe anything they tell you over the phone or in person; seeing (it working) is believing.
Another thing you could run into after the fact (as I did) is that some buildings have exclusivity contracts with certain ISPs, so the current owner may not be using Comcast because the building only allows AT&T or another company under their rules and provisions. Check just to be sure.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 12:19 PM on April 2, 2016
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As a note, they totally can. I know plenty of telecommuters that use both so that they have a backup if one goes down.
Seconding kalessin that you're fine, especially if Comcast tells you that it's available there.
posted by Candleman at 10:47 AM on April 2, 2016